Renault extended its lead over Haas to 30 points with strong results in the United States and Mexico, while an appeal into Romain Grosjean’s exclusion from the Italian Grand Prix also failed. With fourth place now looking unlikely for Haas, Magnussen says the team should still be proud of being able to compete with a Renault team that enjoys a bigger budget.

“[Fourth] is the ‘best-of-the-rest’, so there’s a lot of pride in it,” Magnussen said. “It’s a very tight battle in the midfield. We shouldn’t really be fighting Renault in Formula 1, because they have a lot more resources, a big factory and a lot more people involved. With what we’ve got, we use it a lot better than they do. That’s already something to be proud of.

“On average, we’ve been quicker than them this year so, of course, it’s disappointing to be behind them in the championship at this point. We just have to build from here. We’ve taken a step forward this year and we’ve proved that we can build a car that’s capable of best-of-the-rest.

“We just have to minimize the mistakes, score points and get the results we deserve to have more points regularly.”

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Haas looks comfortable in fifth place as sixth-placed McLaren sits 22 points adrift with two races remaining and has only scored four points in the last four rounds. As a result, Magnussen says the team’s focus remains on Renault despite an even bigger margin ahead.

“The midfield fight is still intense, although the gap to Renault has increased. We’re still really keen to try and catch up, and we’ll do everything we can to maximize our chances against them. Behind us in the championship we’ve got some breathing room. We know that things can turn around quickly. We want to score as many points as we can.”

Grosjean also still has hopes of catching Renault, but regardless of the final result the Frenchman agreed with his teammate about what an impressive season Haas has had in what is only its third year in F1.

“We always look at the timesheet,” Grosjean said. “The battle is quite tight, quite good. We lost a bit of ground at our home grand prix and in Mexico, which is a shame. We’re trying to make up for it, and we’ll be giving it 100 percent.

“It’s got a big significance for us. Fourth or fifth would be a big achievement for Haas F1 in its third season of competition.”

]]>https://racer.com/2018/11/05/haas-over-delivering-in-taking-fight-to-renault-magnussen/feed/02018 Mexican GPandrewcraskHaas appeal rejected by FIA judgeshttps://racer.com/2018/11/02/haas-appeal-rejected-by-fia-judges/
https://racer.com/2018/11/02/haas-appeal-rejected-by-fia-judges/#respondFri, 02 Nov 2018 12:25:51 +0000http://racer.com/?p=177300Haas F1 has lost its appeal against Romain Grosjean’s disqualification from the Italian Grand Prix after a hearing in Paris this week.

The legality of Grosjean’s car in Monza was protested by the Renault team, which argued the floor was not in conformity with the technical regulations following a clarification via technical directive in July. Teams were given until the Italian Grand Prix to make changes if required, but Haas argued it was unable to do so before the next race in Singapore.

Grosjean was excluded from sixth place in the race — costing Haas eight points — and the team immediately made clear its intention to appeal. The appeal hearing was heard by the FIA International Court of Appeal at the governing body’s headquarters in Paris on Thursday, with the following judgment handed out on Friday morning:

“The Court, after having heard the parties and examined their submissions, decided:

• To uphold the Decision No. 42 of the Stewards of the 2018 Italian Grand Prix held in Monza counting towards the 2018 FIA Formula 1 World Championship;

• To confirm the exclusion of Haas F1 Team’s car No. 8 from the 2018 Italian Grand Prix held in Monza counting towards the 2018 FIA Formula 1 World Championship;

• To order the competent Sporting Authority to draw, as appropriate, the consequences of this ruling.

“To date, only the operative part of the decision has been notified to the Parties. The full decision including grounds will be notified later on.”

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Haas team principal Guenther Steiner issued a short statement after the decision had been made public, with his team now confirmed as 30 points adrift of Renault in the fight for fourth in the constructors’ championship with two races remaining.

“Obviously we are disappointed not to have won our appeal,” Steiner said. “We simply move forward and look to the final two races of the year to continue to fight on-track, earn more points, and conclude our strongest season to date in Formula 1.”

With Renault having brought the original protest, its technical director Nick Chester added: “Technical regulations — especially those introduced for safety reasons — must be observed strictly. We are satisfied with the decision and I would like to thank the court and the FIA for their work on this matter. The team is now focused on the end of the season.”

An opening-lap collision with Charles Leclerc in Austin resulted in Grosjean receiving a grid penalty in Mexico as well as one penalty point. That brings his total for the past 12 months up to ten points, with two more triggering an automatic one-race ban.

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“I’m in a s*** situation,” Grosjean said. “I have two points left, OK I get one back after the race and two back after Brazil so then it will be a bit nicer, but sometimes you take a penalty point and you don’t know why.

“The blue flag in Singapore, why did I get two penalty points and five-second penalty? OK I blocked Lewis [Hamilton] and I apologized. I was in my fight as well. By the time I was in front of the Williams, the Williams didn’t let the other car by either so I couldn’t move straight away. Barcelona, two points three places, fair enough, I made a mistake.”

Grosjean says that from the outset of the Circuit of The Americas weekend, he was already in the mindset of trying to avoid penalty points, highlighting the precariousness of his position.

“I will try to be as good as I can. In Austin, I didn’t want to be aggressive, and I lifted off out of the fight, and then I got caught in dirty air. I trust my good star to be aligned and everything is going to go well.”

And Grosjean believes the penalty points system needs to take into account the impact of an incident on a driver’s race, having eventually retired.

“I think I have got penalized enough because my race was ruined. You can go through it a hundred times. There are penalties you deserve. The points system, do we need it in F1, with supposedly the best drivers in the world? I don’t know. Put it in NASCAR. Guys will be banned three times a year.”

Any driver that reaches 12 penalty points over a 12 month period receives an automatic one-race ban, and Grosjean moved on to 10 points after a collision with Charles Leclerc in Austin. One of his points is set to expire on the day after the Mexican Grand Prix, meaning that if Grosjean receives two further points this weekend, he will trigger the suspension.

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“I think he gets one [point] back in Mexico,” Steiner said. “It’s tight, huh? We joked about it, maybe we should start to look for a replacement driver.

“I wouldn’t bandage my head before I’ve got a hole in it. When it happens, I will deal with it. Hopefully it doesn’t happen, but when it happens… if I start to work now on things which could happen, I would have a lot to do, so that’s my opinion about it.

“If it happens, we are pretty well prepared for any eventuality. There are a few people out there I would call up and see if they would drive. But I think it will be good.”

Haas lost ground to Renault in the constructors’ championship after Kevin Magnussen was disqualified for using too much fuel during the race at COTA, but Steiner is not deterred by the 22-point gap between the teams.

“If we get something like they did [in Austin], we can do it at the next three races,” he said. “Our car is faster. For me, this is not like just because they got lucky, we give up. They had a good points day, but we can have a bigger points day and we’ve got three races to go, so why would I give up? We can make 15 points in a day. We did 22 in Austria. Let’s race again in Mexico.”

]]>https://racer.com/2018/10/24/steiner-not-planning-for-grosjean-ban/feed/02018 United States GPmarkglendenningGrosjean hit with Mexican GP grid penaltyhttps://racer.com/2018/10/21/grosjean-hit-with-mexican-gp-grid-penalty/
https://racer.com/2018/10/21/grosjean-hit-with-mexican-gp-grid-penalty/#respondSun, 21 Oct 2018 23:47:54 +0000http://racer.com/?p=176305Haas endured a nightmare United States Grand Prix as Romain Grosjean retired from the race and was hit with a grid penalty for the next race in Mexico.

Grosjean hit Charles Leclerc at Turn 12 on the opening lap of the race, accepting fault for locking up and spinning the Sauber. The contact was significant enough to damage Grosjean’s steering rack and force the Frenchman to retire his car early on. Leclerc also retired later in the race, citing damage from the collision.

The stewards handed Grosjean a three-place grid penalty for the Mexican Grand Prix for being at fault, while also giving him one penalty point.

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“Video evidences showed that entering Turn 12 Car 8 locked tires and made contact with Car 16,” the stewards decision read. “As a result of the incident both cars suffered damage and Car 8 had to retire.

“The Stewards noted that Car 8 lifted and braked early because of the positions of the cars in front, but nevertheless Car 8 made contact with Car 16. The Stewards awarded just 1 penalty point in recognition of the circumstances.”

The penalty point is significant as Grosjean now has 10 for the 12-month period. Had the stewards handed out three penalty points, he would have been given an automatic one-race penalty. Grosjean will start losing penalty points as of October 28, one day after the race in Mexico, meaning two penalty points next weekend would also result in a ban.

Aside from Grosjean’s penalty, Haas also saw Kevin Magnussen disqualified from ninth place in the race for using more than 105kg of fuel, while Renault picked up 14 points and holds a 22-point lead in the battle for fourth in the constructors’ championship.

]]>https://racer.com/2018/10/21/grosjean-hit-with-mexican-gp-grid-penalty/feed/02018 United States GPraceralisonMagnussen praises Haas quality improvementshttps://racer.com/2018/10/16/magnussen-praises-haas-quality-improvements/
https://racer.com/2018/10/16/magnussen-praises-haas-quality-improvements/#respondTue, 16 Oct 2018 13:36:33 +0000http://racer.com/?p=175591Kevin Magnussen highlights improvements in the quality of the Haas VF-18 as one of the reasons for the team’s strong form this season.

Haas finished eighth in each of its first two seasons in Formula 1 but currently sits fifth, eight points behind fourth-placed Renault. After a strong start last year, Haas scored just four points in the final four races of the season, but in 2018 has maintained a higher competitive level and Magnussen sees clear reasons for the car remaining quick throughout the year.

“I think there are a couple of things that stand out this year,” Magnussen said. “One of them is, obviously, just experience. The team has been growing every year. Everyone is using their experience better and better, while at the same time, gaining more experience.

Kevin Magnussen (Image by Glenn Dunbar/LAT)

“I also think the quality of our car, in terms of the actual build of our car, is much better. We’re better able to put the car on track that we intended to, and not have little errors or faults in production of the car. That quality is a lot better this year, and I think that contributes as well to the performance.

“Our tire knowledge has improved a lot. In Formula 1, Pirelli tires are very tricky, and our management and understanding has improved a lot this year. I would say those are the main things regarding our growth this year.”

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Magnussen’s teammate Romain Grosjean believes those improvements have been made more obvious by Haas not realizing its full potential during the 2017 season.

“We’ve made a good step this year,” Grosjean said. “I think 2017 was maybe the year where we underperformed, but in 2018 we’ve come back to the route being planned out since the start of the team. The team has been growing a lot and improving in every single area. There’s still room for improvement, which is amazing to know and to see.”

While Haas appears to have the measure of Renault at this stage of the season, team principal Guenther Steiner says he is not putting pressure on the team to overturn the eight-point deficit immediately.

“I don’t want to catch them quickly; as long as we catch them after Abu Dhabi I am fine,” Steiner said. “Perfectly fine with that one. I am in no hurry.

“It is still difficult. I know we have four races to go but they were not very strong (in Japan) and they were luckier than us scoring a point, but their performance and pace wasn’t very good. That doesn’t mean that they will be in Austin or Mexico.

“So we need to keep our guards up and do a good job. We are not there yet and we will for sure fight but there is still a long way to go, four races, which is 20% of the championship.”

Grosjean was disqualified after Renault lodged a protest against the legality of the floor Haas used in Monza. The Frenchman lost sixth place and with it eight points that at the time had moved Haas level with Renault in the constructors’ championship.

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With a number of teams interpreting a technical regulation in different ways, the FIA issued a clarifying technical directive on July 25 and gave teams until the Sept. 2 Italian Grand Prix to make amendments to their floors. Haas cited supplier deadlines in claiming it would not be able to introduce any changes until Singapore two weeks later, but the FIA stuck to its original timeline as other teams were able to do so.

In correspondence regarding the planned changes Haas would implement, the FIA informed the team that running its previous specification of floor in Italy would leave it vulnerable to protest from a rival.

Haas immediately announced on the evening after the race that it would appeal the decision.

The team will go in front of the FIA’s International Court of Appeal in Paris on the Thursday after the Mexican Grand Prix.

The timing of the appeal hearing allows a decision to be made before the end of the season, so Haas and Renault should both know the confirmed constructors’ championship standings ahead of the final two rounds in Brazil and Abu Dhabi. Following Grosjean’s disqualification, Renault currently sits fourth with an eleven-point advantage over Haas.

Grosjean and Magnussen have been teammates for two seasons and this year have delivered 76 points between them as Haas currently sit fifth in the constructors’ championship. The team has missed out on a number of significant results through both its own errors and driver mistakes, but Steiner says the progress that has been made since finishing eighth last season justifies not making any changes.

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“From the very beginning, we needed experienced drivers to hasten the development of our car and our team, and we have two very good and experienced drivers in Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen,” Steiner said. “We’ve improved drastically from last year to this year, so retaining both drivers was a pretty easy decision.”

Haas picked up 47 points last season so has already comfortably exceeded its previous best points tally, and Steiner is confident his team will reach three figures as it looks to close a 15-point deficit to Renault in the fight for fourth position.

“I think the 100-point barrier should be and will be broken, and we’ll do it with Romain and Kevin. Both drivers push each other to be better, and their collective feedback allows us to be better. It’s not a coincidence that in their second year as teammates, Haas F1 Team is having its best year. By keeping Romain and Kevin together, we aim to do even better next year.”

Haas could still have another eight points reinstated after Grosjean was disqualified from sixth place in the Italian Grand Prix due to an illegal floor, with the team having appealed the decision.

]]>https://racer.com/2018/09/28/haas-steiner-says-retaining-drivers-a-pretty-easy-decision/feed/0_ONY3456andrewcraskHaas confirms Grosjean and Magnussen returning for 2019https://racer.com/2018/09/28/haas-confirms-grosjean-and-magnussen-returning-for-2019/
https://racer.com/2018/09/28/haas-confirms-grosjean-and-magnussen-returning-for-2019/#respondFri, 28 Sep 2018 09:43:25 +0000http://racer.com/?p=173826Haas F1 will retain its current driver line-up of Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen for the 2019 season, the team has confirmed.

Grosjean has driven for Haas since it entered Formula 1 in 2016, scoring all of its 29 points as the team finished eighth in its debut season. The Frenchman was joined by Magnussen last year and picked up 28 of the team’s 47 points, but this year had been struggling compared to his teammate.

Starting the season without a point from the opening eight races, Grosjean responded with an impressive fourth in Austria and followed that up with three straight top-10 finishes in Germany, Hungary and Belgium. Grosjean would have had even more than his current tally of 27 points but was disqualified from sixth place in the Italian Grand Prix after a protest from Renault.

That improvement in form has earned the 32-year-old another year with the team, where he will partner Magnussen for a third straight season.

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“It’s impressive to see what this team has accomplished in such a relatively short time, and for someone who has been here since the very beginning, I take a lot of pride in the time, effort and sacrifice we’ve all put forth to make Haas F1 Team so competitive,” Grosjean said.

“I’m very happy to continue with Haas F1 Team and represent Haas Automation and all of our partners. Gene Haas has built something very special – something we can make even better – and it’s an honor to be a part of it.”

Magnussen has excelled in what is the first time in his F1 career that he has enjoyed two consecutive seasons in the same team, picking up 49 points to date and sitting ninth in the drivers’ championship.

“I’ve never been in a better situation than the one I’m in here at Haas,” Magnussen said. “This is a team filled with racers and we’re all striving for the same thing. There’s no bureaucracy and everything is very straightforward.

“Gene Haas is all about efficiency, and he and (team principal) Guenther Steiner have created a very efficient environment that gets the best from its people. We all believe in each other and that’s why we’ve achieved as much as we have.”

Haas is currently one of only two teams to retain the same driver line-up as this season, with Mercedes also sticking with its pairing of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas in 2019.

]]>https://racer.com/2018/09/28/haas-confirms-grosjean-and-magnussen-returning-for-2019/feed/02018 Belgian GPandrewcraskSteiner says Renault protest shows how tense battle ishttps://racer.com/2018/09/21/steiner-says-renault-protest-shows-how-tense-battle-is/
https://racer.com/2018/09/21/steiner-says-renault-protest-shows-how-tense-battle-is/#respondFri, 21 Sep 2018 12:26:32 +0000http://racer.com/?p=173174Haas team principal Guenther Steiner says the protest filed against his team by Renault highlights how tense the fight is for fourth in the constructors’ championship.

Renault protested the result of the Italian Grand Prix, claiming Haas had an illegal floor after technical directives issued by the FIA. The protest was successful, with Romain Grosjean being excluded from sixth place in the race, resulting in Haas going from level on points with Renault to now 15 points adrift after failing to score in Singapore.

“It’s very tense,” Steiner said. “As we all know, Renault filed a protest against us to take some points away, which we’ve appealed. That gives you a good indication of how tense the battle is. The other teams are trying to get as many points as possible. (Fernando) Alonso did very well in Singapore to catch up. Force India, like us, didn’t score, so it’s all open.”

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Haas struggled on the street circuit in Monaco earlier this season and then failed to score in Singapore last weekend, but Steiner says the overall performance improvement between those two events was masked by the way the race panned out.

“I wouldn’t say that Singapore was bad for the car. Obviously, we qualified eighth and 16th — not ideal, but sometimes this can happen, and eighth is not a bad result.

“The race went how it went. It was mainly down to the hypersofts, which we had to start Romain on. Then we got caught in traffic and overtaking was very difficult. I’m pretty confident we can do well in Sochi — what we have been doing up to now in the season.”

For his part, Grosjean is reveling in the battle with his former team, expecting fourth place to only be decided at the season finale in Abu Dhabi in November.

“It’s very exciting, very interesting,” Grosjean said. “A lot can happen. It’s very open. I think it’s going to go until the end of the year. It’s great fun. We’re going to do everything we can to get that fourth position in the constructors’ championship.”